Andrea McLellan

Andrea McLellan is a licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT) based in California who uses practical, goal-focused methods to help people manage strong emotions and life challenges. She combines solution-focused work with cognitive behavioral ideas to set clear, realistic goals and reduce distress. Andrea brings 14 years of clinical experience to her practice and writes and teaches about psychology at the university level.

Andrea pays close attention to the roots of people’s problems. She looks at patterns that come from family life and early experiences, and she helps clients notice how those patterns keep repeating. In sessions she guides people to accept responsibility for change, build courage to try new behaviors, and practice forgiveness when it feels right.

Her background includes work in forensic settings as a court-recognized expert on sexual assault and child abuse, and she has consulted with attorneys on cases involving court-dependent minors. That experience deepened her focus on trauma, family systems, and how harm within families affects later life.

Andrea often helps people dealing with stress, anxiety, anger, relationship and parenting challenges, depression, grief, addiction-related concerns, and issues around intimacy and self-esteem. She also supports people facing long-term health, caregiver stress, body image and identity questions. Her approach is straightforward and practical, with clear steps clients can try between sessions.

Outside of clinical work she enjoys time in nature, including hiking, bird-watching, and camping. She also notes a special interest in supporting public servants and first responders who have been exposed to repeated stress or traumatic events.

How therapeutic approaches guide online work

Andrea commonly uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and solution-focused methods in her work. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at how thoughts and behaviors keep problems going and teaches practical skills to change unhelpful patterns. Solution-focused work emphasizes setting specific, realistic goals and trying small experiments between sessions to see what helps.

She also draws on psychodynamic ideas about how family patterns and early experiences shape current feelings. That perspective helps people notice repeated patterns and make different choices in relationships and emotional responses. Together these approaches help address issues such as anger, trauma effects, relationship struggles, and stress in daily life.

Choosing the best approach is a team effort. The therapist will talk with each person about their goals, preferences, and what has or hasn’t worked before. From there she tailors sessions and suggests techniques to practice between meetings so progress is practical and trackable.

If you are considering online work, confirm the exact session formats offered before booking. Online therapy can make it easier to fit appointments into busy schedules, reduce travel time, and allow more timely check-ins during stressful periods. It can also make some brief follow-ups or focused skills practice simpler to schedule around work or caregiving demands.